Arrangement and construction of store fixtures



Patented Nov. 1, 1927.

PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATES CLARENCE SAUNDERS, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR TO PIGGLY WIGGLY COR- PORATION, 0F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ARRANGEMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF STORE FIXTURES.

Application filed March 4, 1924. Serial No. 696,791.

My invention relates to an arrangement and construction of store fixtures.

One object of the invention is to provide what may be designated as a clear vision store whereby the purchase inducing force of the store due to the sight of the goods by the customer is greatly increased.

-In furtherance of this object the invention aims to provide an arrangement of store fixtures such that the enclosing room is so divided into related traversing spaces for the customer and displays of goods that upon entrance into the store the customer will immediately obtain a, substantially uninterrupted view of the greater proportion of the contents of the store.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction whereby a clerk located at a dispensing fixture may also unobstructedly view the goods displayed and also be in convenient position for serving the customer and observing him as he traverses the store. v

Another object of the invention is to provide such a relation of the fixtures to the entire'space of the store that a clerk or customer may freely pass from one assortment of merchandise to another.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a division of the display and traversing area that all the necessary goods display elements may be disposed within the outer boundaries of the traversing space so that a continuous and uninterrupted area adjacent the displays of goods is provided for the customer, thus avoiding the likelihood of the customer missing goods desired by him or overlooking part of the store contents, while at the same time ready access for a clerk is afforded from the display, area to an adjacent stock room.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction whereby the plan by which the clerk waits upon the customer and the plan by which the customer himself per forms the act of removing the goods from their holders, are combined and utilized.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an arrangement of goods holding units in conjunction with an arrangement of space dividing elements that when the units are disposed in tiers of multiples or other pluralities, the separate display units display elements that immediately adjoin and divide customer spaces. a

With these objects in view the invention is embodled in preferable form in the construction and arrangement hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawmgs, in which drawings Flgure 1 is a perspective view of part of the structure of a room adapted to constitute a store, showing my improved arrangement of fixtures applied thereto, and

F1gure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a longitudinal left hand wall of a building or room as the same is viewed from the front of the store, and 2 the right hand Wall. A lobby 3 is provided at the front of the store between the walls 1 and 2. Extending from the space 3 longitudinally of the room along the left hand Wall 1 is a line of shelving 4 which runs the full length of the room adoining a rear transverse dividing element 5. This element 5 may be a partition or store furniture, such as a refrigerator, or a counter, or other structure adapted to contain goods or permit of the dispensing thereof. Extending also from the space 3 rearwardl andparallel to the shelving 4, and longitudinally of the store, is a dividing element 6 which may also be, and preferably is, a structure permitting the goods to be dispensed to a customer bya clerk, and which is preferably in the form of a counter of the ordinary height of merchandise counters. This counter may bear goods to be selected and removed by the customer. This dividing and dispensing element stops short of the rear dividing member 5, leaving a traversing space 7 between the end of the same and the member 5 for the accommodation of customers. The parallel line of shelving 4 and counter 6 form between them a space 8 extending longitudinally of the room and communicating at its rear end with the space 7. The counter 6 at its front end joins a similar counter 9 extending transversely of the room and at right angles to the counter 6 to a point spaced from the right hand wall 2, providing an opening which may be used as either an ingress or an egress, but which is preferably to be used in the particular arrangement herein illustrated as an egress for the customers. This opening is designated by 10. Similarly the forward 0 en end of the space between the line of sielving 4 and the counter 6 may serve either as an ingress or an egress for the customers, but in this particular arrangement is used as'an ingress opening, and is designated by the numeral 11. At this rear end the element 8 adjoins a member 12 whirh extends transversely therefrom toward the right hand wall, its outer edge being parallel with the outer end of the counter or member 6. This member 12 constitutes notonly a dividing member to separate the floor area into suitable traversing spaces, but also constitutes a display element, being preferably in the form of a cabinet having a series of shelves in which articles to be sold are placed. The end of the element 12 is separated by a space 13 from the longitudinal right hand side wall 2 so as to provide an opening from the space 7 into a further space 14.

Extending longitudinally along the right hand side wall 2 from the front entrance space 3 to a rear transverse dividing member 15 is a line of shelving 16, similar to the line of shelving 4, at the opposite side of the room. Projecting transversely from this line of shelving 16 into the body of the room is a dividing and display member 17 which is similar to the structure 12 and is provided with shelves for the display of thegoods. The element 17 is separated from the counter 6 by an opening 18 which in turn communicates with the space 19.

Projecting from the counter 6 transversely of the room and in front of the member 17 is another dividing and display element 20 spaced from the shelving 16 by opening 21,

which in turn communicates with the space 22 which adjoins the member 20, and another dividing and dis lay element 23, which at one end adjoins the shelving 16 and at the other end is spaced from the counter 6 to provide an opening 24. The dividing and dispensing counter 9 and element 23 form between them a space 25 which communicates with the opening 24 and is also in communication with the egress opening 10.

While four of these display cabinets are illustrated a less or greater number may be employed. The transverse disposition of these display and dividing elements permits of either an even or an odd number of such elements and an even or odd number of corres onding traversing spaces to be employed.

Each of the dividing and display elements 12, 17, 20 and 23 is of substantially pyramidal form and is composed of a series of display units arranged in vertical tiers. The cabinet members or units in each separate tier progressively decrease in size upward. Thus the lowermost unit 26 extends for the greatest length of any of the members and constitutes the dividing member to form the partition between the adjoining traversing spaces, while the next superposed member 27 is spaced from both ends of the unit 26, while the uppermost unit 28 is still smaller and spaced from both ends of the unit 27. This arrangement, in conjunction with the transverse disposition of these display cabinets relative to the longitudinal or traversing space 8 provided for the customers, avoids an obstruction of a view of the rear display cabinets by those in front, which would be the case if the full base width of the cabinets were continued to the top thereof. Such arrangement also cooperates with the dispensing and display counters 9 and 6 in permitting an unobstructed view by the customer of the contents in the various display. cabinets as the customer enters the ingress 11, since from this point he can look across the counters towards the right hand rear end corner of the room and observe the goods displayed in each of the rows of cabinets, and also in the shelving 16, and the construction thus affords what may be designated as a clear vision display construction or store.

The two rear dividing elements 5 and 15, which as before stated may be formed by partitions, counters, or by receptacles adapted to contain goods, are spaced from one another to form an opening 29, which communicates with the space 30. This space may be used as a stock room, or as another selling department, such as a soda fountain, a meat market, a fruit department, a ribbon counter, or a department for any other goods required to be dispensed or measured under the immediate direction of the purchaser. lVhatever form the utilization of this space 30 may take, it will be noted that if the customer passes into this space through the opening 29 he must return by thesame opening into the same space 7 from which he entered the space 30, whereby he again comes into a view of the display cabinets at the same point from which he departed from the main space, so that the missing of any of the goods which he has previously noted for purchase, or the overlooking of any of the various cabinets in the customers traverse through the store is prevented. At the same time a clerk who may have occasion to pass from the room to the main art of the store is afforded ready access t rough said opening 29 to any part of the traversing spaces of the main room and to any of the display cabinets for the urpose of waiting on customers or replemshing'the stock. This result is accomplished primarily by the transverse continuation of the longitudinal member 6 into the member 12 on a line spaced from the rear dividing elements 5 and 15.

Having thus described my invention What I claim is:

1. An arrangement of store fixtures having a series of transversely disposed pyramidal display and space dividing elements, a longitudinal dividing member of less height than said display elements, and an opposing longitudinal parallel member spaced from said first longitudinal member, the space between said members being open at the forward end.

2. An arrangement of store fixtures having pyramidal display cabinets placed transversely of the salesroom and a longituing lengthwise of the store with its lateral extensions between said transverse display devices but spaced therefrom and its back in spaced relation to the adjacent lengthwise row of display devices thereby providing a circuitous pathway with an entrance at one side "of the lobby and an outlet at the other, the transverse display. devices being of pyramidal shape and arranged in a row lengthwise of the salesroom, and the back of said E-shaped device being of less height than said pyramidal devices, substantially as setforth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Memphis, Tennessee, this 29th day of February, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-four.

. CLARENCE SAUNDERS. 

